Before you start

For the НСЗУ programme: permanent residence, Ukrainian citizenship, or refugee/complementary-protection status
For a declaration: a РНОКПП tax number and an identity document, signed in person with the chosen doctor
For everyone else: a medical insurance policy valid for the whole residence-permit period — a condition of the permit itself
A Ukrainian phone number, since booking and results run through apps and SMS

Step-by-step

1
Buy insurance before the permit, because the permit requires it
ДМС lists a valid policy covering the full permit period among the required documents. Employers hiring internationally usually provide one; if yours does not, buy either a Ukrainian policy for foreigners or an international policy that explicitly covers Ukraine. Many global expatriate policies exclude it as a war-risk territory — read the exclusions, not the brochure.
OnlineWho: You or your employerDaysVaries widely; the war-risk exclusion is what to price, not the premium
2
If you hold permanent residence, sign a declaration with a family doctor
The declaration is the contract between you and a primary-care doctor and routes НСЗУ funding to them for your care. You choose the doctor, not the district, and sign in person with an identity document and tax number. The НСЗУ publishes dashboards showing doctors with capacity. No fee, no address restriction.
In personWho: You, at the chosen practiceHalf an hourFree
3
Pick a private clinic for routine care
Lviv's private sector is quick, cheap by Western standards and has English speakers at the larger networks. For anything orthopaedic, reconstructive or rehabilitative the city's public capability is genuinely world-class by necessity, and the Unbroken centre draws international surgical teams — a rare case where the state hospital, not the private clinic, is the strongest option.
In personWho: YouSame or next day for most appointmentsA specialist consultation typically ₴900-2,200
4
Know what to dial and where to go in an emergency
103 for an ambulance, 112 for the unified emergency number, 101 for fire and rescue — the last of which also responds after a strike. Emergency care is provided regardless of status or declaration. Keep blood group, allergies and an emergency contact on paper as well as on your phone, because phones die in blackouts.
In personWho: YouImmediate
5
Use the electronic prescription system
Doctors issue e-prescriptions and you collect at any pharmacy with the code sent to your phone. Pharmacies are dense and open late, and a great many drugs that are prescription-only elsewhere are sold over the counter here — convenient, and a reason to bring your own regular medication rather than improvising a local equivalent.
Mobile appWho: YouImmediate

Documents you’ll need

Identity document and residence permit
РНОКПП tax number (needed for a declaration)
Medical insurance policy valid for the full permit period
Vaccination and medical history, translated if you want it usable
An emergency card on paper with blood group, allergies and contacts

Things most newcomers don’t know

Temporary residence does not get you into the Programme of Medical Guarantees — permanent residence does.

The insured population under Law No. 2168-VIII is citizens, permanent residents and refugees. A work-permit holder on a one-year temporary permit sits outside it, which is exactly why ДМС makes insurance a condition of the permit. This is the most misreported fact about healthcare for foreigners in Ukraine.

Source: Law of Ukraine No. 2168-VIII / НСЗУ

For rehabilitation, prosthetics and reconstructive surgery, Lviv is the best-equipped city in the country.

Wartime necessity built a concentration of expertise here that a city of 700,000 would not otherwise have, with sustained international clinical partnership behind it. If that is your field or your need, the calculus is different from anywhere else in Ukraine.

Source: Lviv First Medical Union / Unbroken programme

Check your international policy for a Ukraine war-risk exclusion before you rely on it.

Many global expatriate policies carve out active conflict zones. A policy that looks comprehensive and excludes Ukraine is worse than none, because you find out when you need it.

Source: community-reported

Emergency care does not check your status.

Ambulances and emergency departments treat first. Whatever your paperwork, 103 or 112 is always the right call.

Source: МОЗ / НСЗУ

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming a temporary residence permit brings you into the state programme. It does not.
Buying the cheapest policy without reading the territorial exclusions.
Waiting until you are ill to sign a declaration — do it while you can choose the doctor.
Relying on a phone for medical information during a blackout. Keep a paper card.
Self-prescribing because pharmacies will sell you almost anything. Permissive pharmacy access is a hazard, not a feature.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.